Seed functional traits as predictors of seedling establishment success in Brazilian tropical forest restoration

Several ecological filters in deforested and degraded areas reduce seedling emergence and establishment and hinder ecological restoration by direct seeding. Understanding whether functional traits are related to a species’ capacity to overcome these filters and predict their field performance might improve the success of direct seeding techniques for ecological restoration. We assessed eight seed functional traits of tropical tree species, seeking those that best explained their establishment success in direct seeding restoration projects. We analyzed a dataset from 52 studies that tested direct seeding techniques with tree species in Brazil. From each study, we collected the mean establishment percentage for all tree species. Seed mass, cotyledon function, and germination speed were the only functional traits that significantly affected the species establishment percentage in direct seeding restoration projects. Species with larger seeds, storage cotyledons, and faster germination had ..., , , # Data from: Seed functional traits as predictors of seedling establishment success in Brazilian tropical forest restoration

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.0rxwdbs8n](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.0rxwdbs8n)

We compiled information available on ecological restoration by direct seeding in Brazil until December 2021 by searching the Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar using the combination of terms “direct seeding”, “restoration”, and “Brazil” and their Portuguese translations (“semeadura direta”, “restauração”, and “Brasil”). To be included in our analysis, the studies had to meet all of the following inclusion criteria: (1) being located in Brazil; (2) referring to ecological restoration projects in deforested or degraded areas (e.g., we did not consider studies of enrichment plantings under native or restored forest canopies); (3) using tree species; and (4) reporting field measurements of establishment by species. Whenever the study reported studies either of tree and non-tre...